Packaging firm to open N.C. plant

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Hamlet, N.C. — A plastic packaging manufacturer plans to open an operation in Richmond County, creating 250 jobs over the next three years, officials said Monday.

Plastek Industries pledged to invest $19 million in the new plant, which will be located outside Hamlet and will be its first operation in North Carolina.

President and Chief Executive Dennis Prischak said North Carolina’s workers and convenient central East Coast location were important factors in the company’s decision.

Plastek is a family-run business started in 1956 in Erie, Pa. The company, which makes plastic consumer, cosmetic and pharmaceutical packaging, now employs more than 2,000 people in the U.S., Brazil, Venezuela and the U.K.

Wages at the North Carolina plant will average $32,800 a year, plus benefits. Officials said the average wage in Richmond County is $26,600.

The company has qualified for a $250,000 grant from the state’s One North Carolina Fund, which provides financial assistance to attract business projects.

The state Economic Investment Committee also voted Monday to provide Plastek with a Job Development Investment Grant, making it eligible to receive 65 percent of the state withholding taxes for the jobs it creates in each of the nine years the company meets annual performance targets.

If Plastek meets the targets called for under the agreement and keeps them for nine years, the JDIG could yield up to $1.98 million for the company, officials said.